People often ask me why my blog is called Tell the Truth Sheffield. It comes from the first demand of Extinction Rebellion, which is “Tell the Truth. All institutions must communicate the danger we are in. We must be clear about the extreme cascading risks humanity now faces, the injustice this represents, its historic roots, and the urgent need for rapid political, social and economic change.”
The coverage of last week’s news was an example of the media not telling the truth. Trump’s imposition of tariffs dominated everything. Of course, this is important news that will impact us all. However, something that will have a far greater impact has been almost completely ignored.
A group of executives from the food industry have warned us that our food system is facing an existential crisis. Somehow, this is not considered to be news by mainstream media. Jon Fuller informed me that “the group ‘Inside Track’ published a report by key figures in the food supply sector who have warned of severe disruption caused by climate breakdown. It’s not just damage to crops; there are also risks to the distribution of food. People need to keep a supply of non-perishable food in their homes.”
The report states
“We have reached a moment of threat to food security like none other we have seen. Yield, quality, and predictability of supply from many of our most critical sourcing regions is not something we will be able to rely upon over the coming years. The data on degrading soil health, water scarcity, global heating and extreme weather events back up what we are seeing from within the system: an interconnected set of crises.
These crises will have a meaningful commercial impact on our businesses. And yet we feel that there are a number of structural and cultural issues that are preventing the severity of this challenge from being fully accepted by industry or fully shared with our investors.
We can expect increases in drought and flooding, extreme heat and extreme weather events and depletion in soil health in the established growing regions most critical to the UK food supply.”
The authors acknowledged the personal risk they faced in publishing the report. They say, “We each played our role in the incredible response our industry provided to the COVID crisis. This crisis will be even more significant with the difference that this time we can see it coming.”
The climate risk reports of major food companies include casual mentions of threats to the viability of supply chains in the next ten years. The strategies to mitigate these risks are not material compared to the scale of the threat.
What was a long-term threat is now a short-term threat. But rather than stepping up to meet this challenge, food companies are stepping back from the action needed to create resilience.
Supply chains are deteriorating. We can expect increases in drought and flooding, extreme heat and extreme weather events and depletion in soil health in the established growing regions most critical to the UK food supply. The capacity to produce food will decrease in terms of predictability, yield and quality.
Shortages are already happening. In Spain, drought and flooding have directly impacted companies’ ability to source salad, tomatoes and broccoli. Global shocks have had a significant impact on cocoa, coffee and sunflower oil supply chains. So far, this has meant price rises, but soon there may be shortages. The recent flooding in Queensland, Australia, has caused the death or loss of more than 100,000 livestock, and that number is expected to rise. Meat prices will inevitably rise.
Companies allude to a strategy of finding new sourcing regions as current ones become untenable. They fail to recognise that many other companies will be attempting to make the same transition to source multiple crops. They are failing to invest in existing supply chains or improve sustainability. Companies cannot all source everything from somewhere else at a time when other companies and other countries are trying to do the same.
The commercial risk is much higher for food companies that are deeply reliant on single crops from threatened regions. They will not be able to stock ranges that rely on that particular product.
George Monbiot wrote, “I cannot tell you how frustrating it has been, banging my head against this brick wall for so long. Despairing of better policy, I’ve now started stockpiling food. Though small compensation, it’s good to know that industry insiders share my frustrations.”
What should we do? If you have a garden or even just a balcony, why not grow some of your own food? Every little bit will help when the system comes crashing down. Support local shops and growers.
If you eat meat, try to reduce this. More than three-quarters of global agricultural land is used for livestock, despite meat and dairy making up a much smaller share of the world’s protein and calories. If more of us commit to a plant-based diet, this land can be used to grow crops for all of us.
Having a stockpile of food that will feed you in an emergency is a sensible response to this situation.
Don’t sit at home worrying about it! If this article has concerned you, join a group to help do something about it.
Here is a list of local grassroots environmental groups.
Here is a list of the allies and partners of South Yorkshire Climate Alliance (which includes TelltheTruthSheffield)
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